Queens' War
The First Varrian Civil War, informally known as the Queens' War, was a conflict between the reigning Queen Mateld of Varria, who had inherited the throne from her brother, Robsen I; and her niece the Queen-Claimant Edane II, daughter of Robsen I, who had been in exile. Beginnings After Robsen I's death, his sister Mateld was declared Queen of Varria in 404 as Robsen's true heir, Princess Edane, was married to Sir Stedan Canter. Mateld was seen as precocious and wasteful. She had married the younger son of Lord Petros Bower, Sir Tridian Bower (who was made Prince Tridian). However she, and her father-in-law, sought to rid themselves of the power threat the Southern Legion posed. She declared the army illegal and demanded that Lord Yannick Erred travel to Varden to stand trial for treason. In response, Yannick sent a message to Sir Stedan Canter, whom he had exiled prior, promising him amnesty if he returned with his wife and an army. In the meantime, Yannick sent his men to the border and rallied his vassals in preparation for war. The War A year later in the summer of 405, Sir Stedan and Princess Edane landed near Callinkay with a mercenary army - the Company of the Pale Hand. ''They were met by Lord Yannick, who pledged himself to Princess Edane. Edane was provisionally crowned on Callin Eyot in early 406 before beginning their military campaign against Queen Mateld. This was the ''Queens' War. ''Queen Mateld suffered early defeats at the Battle of Littleford, where her brother-in-law and Bower heir, Sir Joharr Bower was killed; and the Siege of Parder Manor before making headway during the Battle of the Thess Ford; the Siege of Westonbray; and the Siege of Greyharbour. When Greyharbour fell in spring 407, Edane's territory had been pushed back to Callinkay itself and her husband, Sir Stedan, had been killed by Prince Tridian. Her luck turned around, however, as Lord Rabard Mallory declared for Queen Edane and rallied most of his vassals. After taking Longford and encroaching into Wysland the coastal lords' loyalty began to waver. In the autumn of 407, Lord Petros Bower was killed on the orders of Aron Bower, his youngest son and presumptive heir. The now-Lord Aron declared for Queen Edane, on the promise of taking Mateld's daughter, Isolla, as his wife. With few allies remaining, Queen Mateld secured herself in Varden with her husband and children, Prince Robsen and Princess Isolla. Her most powerful allies now were: Lord Sadler Loman, Earl-in-exile of Longshire; Sir Marden Antum, Robsen's brother-in-law; Perra Bower, Prince Robsen's sister and Sir Marden's wife; Master Reckart, Master of the College; First Sentinel Quillin Rushby; and Sir Wick Vorny, Constable of Varden. By late spring in the year 408 Varden was besieged by the combined armies of Lord Aron Bower, Lord Rabard Mallory, Lord Yannick Erred, and Queen Edane of Varria. The siege was long and arduous. The grain supplies from the surrounding settlements had been ransacked and many of the people now within Varden's walls. The attackers were running out of food and before long many began to mutiny, diverting the attention away from the cities and toward the skirmishes with deserters and bandits. The siege lasted until the Newyear of 409. The food supplies ran low and morale was lower inside the city walls and many of the civilians began to riot. Sir Wick Vorny was killed during one such riot. After days of unrest, Master Reckart of the College betrayed his queen and demanded the Sentinels open the city gates. Queen Edane's armies poured in and took the city with little opposition. Queen Mateld and her children escaped the city and managed to board a ship to Rhos Oro. In Erik's Square, Master Reckart declared the Queens' War over and crowned Queen Edane as the true ruler of Varria. Aftermath In the immediate aftermath Sir Marden Antum and his wife, Perra were tried for treason and executed by beheading. Prince Tridian, who had stayed behind to ensure his wife escaped, was executed by First Sentinel Quillin Rushby. Lord Sadler Loman committed suicide by throwing himself out of a window in Varden Keep to avoid capture. Lord Aron Bower was made Lord Justice, Lord Yannick Erred was made Royal Steward, and Lord Rabard Mallory was offered the position of Lord Marshal, but he turned it down to return to Angfall. Queen Edane remarried in 411 to Prince Bram of Oldthistle, her cousin. Her son and heir, Prince Darrion, was eventually married off to Lord Aron Bower's daughter, in reparation for the inability to marry Isolla. Mateld died in Rhos Oro, unable to secure funds or alies to help her retake the throne. Her daughter was eventually married to the King of Rhos Oro and Robsen died of a pox in 415. Battles Battle of Littleford The '''Battle of Littleford' was the first engagement of the war. Littleford is a small village in Callinshire. It is ruled by the House of Kay as it lies only a few miles outside of Kaytown on the river Thess. The village lies against a small ford on the otherwise quick river. Sir Joharr Bower had been tasked by his brother, Prince Tridian, to scout around Callinkay to find out how much support Queen Edane had. They had not expected much and so, had decided early on to settle down for a few days to map a course from their location. They camped on the north bank of the river, on the opposite side to the village. On the evening of the 3rd of Medegrin, in the middle of spring, Lord Yannick Erred personally led the 1st Regiment of Foot around the camp of Sir Joharr Bower. Sir Willas Kay lay in wait across the ford with forty knights and their mounted retinues (in total around 200 men). The villagers, as supporters of Lord Kay, had houses Sir Willas' men for the night before. After routing the levies through an ambush and setting small fires around the camp, a small number of mounted soldiers lured the half-armoured knights and remaining levies into Sir Willas' trap, where they were flanked from either side, trapping them in the ford. The river deepened significantly on either side of the ford and so they were surrounded. Sir Joharr Bower was cut down during the melee. After the battle most of the surviving knights were taken prisoner for ransom. The levies that were left were given the choice to join in Queen Edane's fight or be imprisoned. Most chose to switch sides. Siege of Parder Manor The Siege of Parder Manor '''began only days after the battle of Littleford. This force was led by Sir Stedan Canter, Queen Edane's husband. Parder Manor is a small manor house, lightly defended with a curtain wall and a gatehouse. The manor itself is more residential than military and so has many windows and thin walls. Luckily, the attackers wished not to destroy it if they did not have to, nor did they intend to penetrate the curtain wall unless they had to. The defenders were limited as news had reached them of the defeat at Littleford, but not the number of combatants. It seemed to Lord Truwan Parder that the rebel queen was simply marching toward Varden to attack directly. However, he became a prisoner in his own home as the main contingent of Queen Edane's armies choked his estate. The siege lasted a little under two months. Lord Truwan attempted to call for aid but only one vassal, Sir Ruman Tanhyde arrived with around fifty levies. Despite a valiant attempt at an attack from the rear, Sir Ruman was killed in battle and his small force scattered. It did, however, give the defenders enough time to sally out and damage some of the siege equipment. Due to this lack of offensive capabilities, the siege became known as the "Silent Siege" as no fighting occurred after that point. On the 15th of Sonlay, Lord Truwan Parder surrendered. He was placed under house arrest and his daughters were taken for ransom as collateral. Sir Ruman's widow and his young son and heir were compensated and his remains were returned to his home of Harting Manor. Battle of the Thess Ford After the humiliating defeat at Littleford and the overwhelming at Parder Manor, Queen Mateld's husband Prince Tridian pushed forward with his best men to ambush the party from Littleford at the '''Battle of the Thess Ford. Sir Willas Kay was due to meet with Feldyn, one of the deputies of the Pale Hand Company. He had brought along his elements of the company - around 600 men (mostly footmen). Their plan was to raid around the South Shores. However, shortly after setting up camp on the morning of the 2nd of Fensonn, they were surrounded and with similar tactics as Sir Willas had used at Littleford, were forced into the river and cut down. Prince Tridian, desperate for revenge over his brother's demise, massacred those he could find. Many escaped prior to the battle as the Prince has announced his arrival before his men had properly encircled the area. Around half the mercenaries retreated (some made their way back to the main camp near Kaytown, others simply abandoned post). Around half the knights were dead by the time Sir Marden Antum was able to call and end to the fighting. Sir Willas Kay was taken captive whilst Feldyn was executed on the battlefield by Sir Alexos Flint, who had led the rearguard. The battle was the first in a series of losses for Queen Edane. She was on the backfoot and her enemy was carving a pathtoward Kaytown, a major settlement for her whilst her army was scattered across the South Shores and Callinshire. Siege of Westonbray Still riding high from their victory on the River Thess, Prince Tridian marched on and besieged Westonbray, a small castle owned by the Kays, and the home of Sir Willas. Sir Willas was sent to negotiate with his brother, Sir Tomarr - the castellan of Westonbray. Instead, however, Sir Tomarr launched rotting animal corpses into the negotiation party, scattering them and giving the defenders enough time to rescue Sir Willas. The siege was long and arduous but unlike at Parder Manor, they were prepared. They had gathered around 150 men into the castle and stocked up on a healthy food supply. They had also sent word to Lord Yannick Erred and Queen Edane for reinforcements. The siege lasted through the summer. Raids were rare and often only involved individuals. On the 7th of Harvest, a knight under Sir Marden Antum, Sir Henrik "the Brash" of the Spur led a raid into the castle. He scaled the wall in the dead of knight and managed to kill a knight in the service of Sir Tomarr Kay, Sir Tellon of Westonbray. The skirmish led to the deaths of Sir Henrik, Sir Tellon, Sir Tellon's 2 squires, and Sir Henrik's raiding party of 8 men-at-arms. The fight did, however, wound Tomarr Kay. He would eventually lose his left hand to infection. The siege drew on and it became apparent no help was coming. Sir Willas advised his brother to surrender. Tomarr accepted the task but pleaded with Willas for him to leave the castle and flee to their allies. Willas accepted. When Tomarr surrendered, his hand was amputated before he and Clay Uffrey, deputy of Westonbray, were thrown into their own dungeon. Sir Alexos Clay stayed in the castle to hold it along with around 200 men. Sir Willas once again managed to escape and eventually made it to Callinkay where he was put in charge of a group of knights and men-at-arms to ride out to Greyharbour, a town to the west of Callinkay. Siege of Greyharbour The Siege of Greyharbour was the largest battle of the war thusfar. By this point the main contingent of Queen Edane's army had retreated to Greyharbour. Parder Manor had been liberated days prior to their arrival in the town on the 15th Colternn. Sir Willas Kay, on the run from Westonbray, arrived in Callinkay on the 10th of Colternn only to be given command of a group of knights and mounted men-at-arms. He left the city for Greyharbour on the 17th Colternn. They arrived on the morning of the 19th. Prince Tridian pushed forward from Westonbray. He routed some small raiding parties loyal to Edane and managed to capture Sir Bartem Ashcrow, a commander under Sir Stedan Canter. Lord Yannick Erred remained in Callinkay to defend his city should Greyharbour fall. Prince Tridian's army began their siege in the evening of the 19th of Colternn. They blockaded the harbour and burned the small fishing fleet there. The siege lasted almost 4 months. Within this time the Battle of the Beggar's Gate took place outside the city on the morning of the 10th of Fensmorn. The bulk of Tridian's forces were camped by the Western Gate of Greyharbour. However the small Beggar's Gate, rarely used as it was located in an area with slums on both sides of the walls, was utilised by a joint assault between Sir Quillin Hester and Captain Henrik of the Pale Hand. They led a combination of around 1,000 men into the fray and devastated the camps. They managed to kill Sir Matheas Ashmarke, a competent commander under Prince Tridian. However, as they began to retreat, Sir Quillin was shot down under a volley of arrows that took many of his men with him. The others fled to the safety of the Beggar's Gate. Henrik survived the battle. During the winter many starved or froze to death. The attacking force had not expected Sir Stedan to hold out as long as he did. Within the walls people starved but on the outside they froze as there were few trees and firewood was taken within the town. Some began to abandon the siege and return home. Others within the town surrendered themselves but many were taken prisoner or simply executed. After the coming of the new year, Sir Stedan offered to hold a truce talk with Prince Tridian. It was agreed they would meet outside the Western Gate. The discussions were public and tense. Men watched from the camps and the battlement alike. Before long tensions boiled over and words became action. The two consorts of the realm took their swords and began single combat. Sir Stedan initially had the upper hand, unhorsing Prince Tridian. However, on his own dismount he slipped in the wet and cold mud and was hacked to death by Tridian. Stedan's body was beheaded as a traitor and thrown into the sea. With this defeat of their commander and the food supplies running low, Sir Willas Kay surrendered for what he assumed would be the final time on 9th of Equinox, 407 AR. Battle of Longford After Queen Edane's defeat at Greyharbour, it looked as though the war was close to ending in Mateld's favour. However, during this time Lord Rabard Mallory and his former squire, Sir Aron Bower decided to mover allegiances to Queen Edane in order to for Sir Aron to usurp the Coast from his father and for Lord Rabard to establish himself as an equal in military power to Lord Yannick Erred. This began with the Battle of Longford, the most controversial engagement in the war. Background Lord Sadler Loman, as the uncle of Prince Robsen, had been bankrolling much of the campaign for Queen Mateld through his trade route with Benoviam and Rhos Oro. This was detrimental for the House of Wester, whose lands included the town of Endport, a prosperous trading port that had previously had strong ties with Benoviam. Lord Sadler had taken away much of the revenues of the West family and thus, also their overlord, Lord Rabard Mallory. Lord Rabard was looking to weaken the Lomans as well as secure himself a position to rival Lord Yannick Erred, who had overshadowed Lord Rabard for some time militarily. The Battle Around noon on the 14th of Equinox, only five days after the surrender at Greyharbour, Lord Rabard Mallory arrived unannounced outside of the city of Longford with a small retinue behind him, including Sir Haymar the Quick. He claimed he was heading south to besiege Kaytown for Queen Mateld but wanted to rest in the city first. Lord Sadler had not trusted Lord Rabard but let him in anyway. There were only 40 or so men in the entourage and so could be easily subdued. That night, Lord Rabard's brother, Sir Anders Mallory arrived outside the gates with an army of nearly 6,000 men. Lord Rabard was under the watchful eye of the Lomans that evening but one of his lower knights, Sir Haymar the Quick, had retired to a brothel near the city's gate. In the middle of the night, as the army marched toward Longford, Sir Haymar and his men overran the gatehouse and opened the way. Just before sunrise fighting had begun. Waiting levies from Longshire were called to defend the city and were led by Sir Quillin Antum, Lord Marden's son. The battle lasted for days as fighting moved slowly through the streets. Sir Haymar the Quick died on the 16th of Equinox as he attempted to take Lord Sadler's family hostage. Sir Reckart Bowman, leader of the rear guard, managed to push back Sir Quillin's reinforcements but both men died in the fighting. Eventually the numerically superior Northern force made its way to the castle in the city. Lord Sadler was taken prisoner. Sir Anders Mallory was left behind to hold the city as Lord Rabard moved forward into the South. After hearing of the betrayal, Prince Tridian pulled his forces away from its march to Callinkay to pull back toward Varden.